Learn about the passionate organization working to stop the violence against these gentle companions for good

Rescuing the Underdogs

Rescuing the Underdogs

In 2007, a chestnut-brown pit bull named Sweet Jasmine was carried, skinny and terrified, into a Washington, DC, animal rescue center. The dog, a survivor of football star Michael Vick's infamous Bad Newz kennel (an illegal dog-fighting operation that tortured and killed dozens of dogs), had been badly abused. As volunteer Catalina Stirling helped assess her for placement in a foster home, she felt Sweet Jasmine's pain. "It seemed like she wished the ground would swallow her up," says Catalina, who was so affected by the dog's plight that she adopted her. When Sweet Jasmine died in 2009, Catalina felt she had to do more for other dogs like her. "It was astounding how many pit bulls came into the shelter from abusive homes," says fellow volunteer Kate Callahan. As the two friends talked more, Catalina and Kate gradually formed a plan to help the dogs: They founded Jasmine's House, a nonprofit rescue organization that aims to save and rehabilitate neglected, abandoned or abused pit bulls. "I love all dogs," says Kate, "but we decided to focus on pit bulls because they're the ones most in need."

Fighting Stereotypes

Fighting Stereotypes

Indeed, according to research, pit bulls—a general label that covers a wide range of purebred terriers and mutts that look like the stereotypical fighting dog—made up an estimated 30% of the total U.S. shelter intake in 2010, according to Animal People, an independent news site on animal issues. Many of those rescues were ultimately put down. "There are a lot of myths about pit bulls, like that they're inherently aggressive," Kate explains. More often than not, it's neglect and lack of socialization that cause them to behave badly. Jasmine's House officially started in 2010, but, despite its name, is not a physical "house" or shelter facility. Instead, the organization is a network of volunteer foster homes run out of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC. Kate now oversees the day-to-day operations along with rescue director Heather Cole, and the two women partner with four local Maryland shelters to identify pit bulls in need and pair them with volunteers. A trainer, also a volunteer, visits each foster home to help work with the rescued dogs until they're ready to move to a permanent home. To date, around 200 dogs have been adopted.